


Hand of Inheritance

by Pi (Rhea)



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-23
Updated: 2011-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-26 11:16:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhea/pseuds/Pi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Radek learns something new about Lorne. Written for Kink Bingo prompt ‘hand fetish’</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hand of Inheritance

Radek Zelenka's not really sure when Lorne became his friend. It might have been somewhere around the time Elizabeth was yelling at them for attempting to help the society with the good tuber soil in The Game. It really had been all Lorne's idea, and standing together being berated somehow made them partners in crime. It wasn't so strange after that. With McKay and Sheppard running the show, there was a fair amount of mixing between scientific and military personnel, more than Radek had ever experienced in his past dealings with the SGC, or even the military in general.

Radek dislikes going off world and does not understand how Rodney of all people, hypochondriac and pessimist that he is, could enjoy it. Radek certainly does not. Atlantis herself offers all the distraction and work he can keep up with, and so while McKay and Sheppard galavant across the galaxy Weir has Radek and Lorne doing most of the work in the city; they are the second in command. Radek sometimes wonders if McKay realizes how much the city depends on Radek, McKay seems to see himself the only one, other than John, capable of saving and protecting. What Rodney doesn't see is the every day miracles that go into checking water purification and making sure nothing explodes in the labs. Radek has come to understand McKay's scathing retorts and accusations with resigned diligence. He may not yell at people but it does not mean he fails to prevent his won quiet disasters. Radek supposes he operates on a more subdued scale, and Lorne is similar. John Sheppard will save the day, and secure the allies, but Lorne oversees training of soldiers and new recruits, sorts paperwork and reports to Weir and Sheppard on the military state of the city, as well on going on his own, less flashy missions. So this too they have in common. And maybe it makes sense that they'd wind up eating together at lunch flanked by quiet Miko and her tuna sandwiches, Simpson and her crossword puzzles, David Parrish, and Amelia Banks. Admittedly the group is heavier on the science side but sometimes Markham joins them as well and it's always a fun meal. So maybe it's not all that odd when Radek needs to go off world to do the readings himself because, while he would not call the scientists assigned to the job insufferable idiots, the are not perhaps as suited to the job, Lorne offers to take him. Team Sheppard is standing down temporarily while Rodney's twisted ankle and Ronon's broken arm heal. The city's protectors are home and fairly safe.  
"Besides," Elizabeth says when she approves their request, smiling indulgently at them, "You've done a lot of work keeping this city functioning. You could probably do with a change of scenery, if not a rest." Her eyes are twinkling as she sends them off to locate Parrish, who has interest in the plants of the particular planet to which they are headed and Amelia because teams of four are strongly suggested, and Lorne agrees she's probably the most fun to be around, and she's new enough to still have the shine for offworld travel.

They meet in the puddle jumper bay some hours later after McKay has made wild gesticulations about ruining his city, and then oddly apologized for them, possibly the pain meds, and Radek has pulled together a small overnight bag and his surveillance gear. Amelia is waiting in the jumper, but Parrish and Lorne haven't arrived yet. Radek runs a quick systems check. He's been over this jumper only yesterday but it never hurts to be thorough. Parrish jogs up a moment later carrying far more than is probably needed and extra empty bags for sample collection. Lorne arrives last, but only two minutes after the suggested meeting time. Lorne seats himself in the pilot chair, and Amelia, who is just learning the puddle jumpers with her newly genetically enhanced ATA gene flies shotgun. Radek sits in the back with Lorne and plays backgammon on the travel board Parrish brought. The planet has an orbital gate but the trips only an hour and they're soon landed in a sunlit meadow. The first order of business is to set up camp, then Parrish and Amelia will go look at Parrish's plants and Radek will probably wind up disassembling the previous set up of equipment on the hillside near by and spend the rest of the day re-calibrating the systems to get proper readings of energy fluctuations in the atmosphere caused by the four small moons.

The day goes much as Radek had anticipated and the deepening gold of the sky is a welcome sign that, yes he really should be going back to camp. Lorne is sitting off to the side on a nurse log occupied by a lifesigns detector reconfigured to double as a game console. Radek stretches and leans back, feeling his spine pop and realign. Lorne looks up at the noise and offers a sympathetic grin.  
"You done here?"  
"I hope so. They aren't complete idiots, it only took." Radek looks at his watch and winces minutely, "Three hours to re-calibrate it. It could have been worse. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."  
"No, it's not a problem Radek." Lorne almost bounces to his feet and together they head back to camp.

It turns out Parrish had also brought marshmallows.  
"I'm beginning to understand why you bring so much, David." Amelia comments, holding a stick over the glowing coals of the dwindling fire.  
"It's good to be prepared." Parrish shrugs. Radek agrees, it is much nicer to have food besides the MREs, he gratefully accepts as Lorne passes him the marshmallow bag.  
"But you did not bring chocolate?" Radek questions.  
"Oh, well I'm allergic, so I tend not to think about it. Sorry."  
"I didn't know you had allergies." Lorne comments, "I guess with McKay around I expect to hear every bemoaned detail."  
"They're not life threatening, but I don't enjoy hives."  
"That sucks. I mean, that cuts down on a lot of desert options." Amelia sympathizes.  
"It's okay." They fall into companionable silence, the orange glow of the fire and the occasional hiss of sparks filling the stillness of the night.

Amelia leaves to her tent shortly thereafter. She brings her own, a one person tent that condenses down into a hand sized bag. Parrish too retires to the standard military tent set up between the puddle jumper and the fire. Radek is lost in thought, watching the glowing coals and not really thinking of anything when a light catches the corner of his eye. Lorne is tossing a coal from hand to hand. As Radek turns he tosses it back into the fire. The silence is absolute and Radek fears his eyes are bugging out of his head. He pushes up his glasses but Lorne isn't looking at him, staring at his fingers instead, calmly, pensively. Radek jumps up torn between Lorne's calm demeanor and running for the medical bag. He has to try again before he actually speaks English. "You, are you. Your hands, do you need?" Lorne looks up almost quizzically.  
"What?"  
"That was a coal, are you burnt. What kind of idi-"  
"Oh, that. No I'm fine."  
"You're fine." Radek repeats disbelieving.  
"No, really. Uh, look I didn't mean to scare you. I've done that since I was a kid, I forget other people don't know."  
"Know what?" Lorne extends his hand. Radek's never seen them up close before, or at least not with concentration. The skin of Lorne's palm and the underside of his fingers is darker, more orange in complexion, the lines deeper, like folds in cloth. Radek glances at Lorne for permission before reaching slowly out to cradle his hand like a egg. The skin is rough callused, but in a way Radek has never seen before.  
"It's called hyperkeratosis, palmar-plantar only. My feet are like that too." Lorne shrugs, "I just have really thick skin there, it's genetic."  
"I'd never noticed." Radek says.  
"Most people don't. The backs of my hands look normal, and it's only on my hands and feet. But yeah, I don't feel things as well, like heat. As a kid I'd juggle coals as a gag. I do get burnt after a while, and it's not really smart no, but it doesn't hurt me."

Mesmerized Radek runs his fingertips over Lorne's, tracing their edges, the distinct line between the darker, thicker underside skin and the lighter above, down over the rise of flesh beneath the knuckles to the center of Lorne's palm where again the skin is lighter, softer, flicking his nail there to catch the difference between the soft and firm skin. The hitch in Lorne's breathing brings his eyes back to Lorne's face. Radek drops Lorne's hand.  
"Ah, my families from the Isle of Man, before we came over to the US. That's where the specific mutation's from I think. There are only a handful of people who had it. My dad does, and so does my sister. They wanted to try and remove it when we were kids, put acid on our hands or something, but my father wouldn't have it. The other one's the same." Lorne offers his other hand and Radek slowly takes it, marveling again at the strange sensation of skin so different from his own. The back of Lorne's hand does look normal, the glint of small hairs reflecting the light of the glowing coals across the back, neatly cut nails, the shape and curve of fingers strong and confident from holding a P-90.  
"And these calluses do not hinder you?"  
"Not really, I have to scrub them with a pumice stone so they don't build up too much, but it's generally not a problem. Except if I put my hand on a lit burner or something and don't realize until it hurts, that's bad." Lorne laughs a little, falling silent as Radek turns the hand over in his, holding it more firmly to rub across the heel brow furrowing in concentration. And then suddenly it seems to click and Radek realizes he's holding Lorne's hand.  
"Oh, well, that's very interesting. Thank you for telling me. I'm glad you are not burned, but...it is getting quite late and I must go to bed to be able to check before we leave." Radek gestures towards the hillside and his watch before jumping once more to his feet and quickly walking to the tent. Parrish is already asleep, lying in the center of the tent. Radek pulls out his own sleeping bag and settles in, trying to fall asleep. He hasn't by the time Lorne enters a few minutes after the tell-tail hiss of water hitting the remaining coals. It's dark in the tent and Radek can't see him, thankful that the darkness will hide his wakefulness without his glasses to reflect the light and show him staring. Lorne similarly unfurls his sleeping bag and seems to fall asleep within moments of hitting the pillow. Radek stays up later, eyes fixed on the blackness of the ceiling trying to think of nothing.

After that it's an even greater problem. Everything's the same, they return to Atlantis and Lorne continues showing up for lunches and Amelia drops by the labs to chat with him and Simpson. Sheppard encounters an alien race who think humans are magical elves and are quite willing to trade food for magical medicines. Except Radek has something new to demand his attention besides all the many needs of Atlantis. Once he's noticed Lorne's hands it's hard to stop. And there everywhere. Radek runs into Lorne whether by accident or intention several times a day, and even when Lorne is across the room chatting with Sheppard Radek can see Lorne's hands cradling his P-90 or rising to tap his radio, the line between the rougher underside skin still visible at that distance if you know where to look, and now Radek does. It shouldn't be something he obsesses over. Radek has always been someone who devotes himself to things. His pigeons for instance. When Radek does something he does it whole heartedly, it has made him a good scientist. Radek finds the answer and works to get there and can concentrate on one thing in particular until it's seen to its finish. Radek hadn't counted on this being one of those things. Thinking about the thin skin at the center of Lorne's palm should not make Radek's chest warm. Radek finds himself feeling almost giddy, brushing by Lorne, fingers secretly seeking the lightest brush in passing, almost just an accident. And really, Radek isn't that subtle, for all that he might, somewhat, be trying. So, it isn't really surprising when Lorne pulls him aside, walking towards the mess for dinner from a diagnostic run on the puddlejumper in which Radek spent more time jerking his eyes away from Lorne's hands on the controls than he did checking the systems.  
"Hey, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Lorne asks, hand comfortingly on Radek's shoulder. Radek is thrumming, static energy shaking him in his shoes. It is ridiculous and Radek is tongue-tied. "Are you okay? You've been acting a little funny since our trip to MX685?"  
"I, em, figured out something that...I've been preoccupied. Yes." Radek isn't looking at Lorne, or his hands, but at the sharp lines and angles of the Lantean architecture just past Lorne's left ear.  
"And can I ask what with?"  
"What?"  
"What are you preoccupied with?" The hand on his shoulder squeezes, strong fingers kneading into flesh and releasing. Radek blinks rapidly. "Because, I think I might have a guess." Lorne raises his other hand, running the pads of his fingertips over Radek's cheek the rasp of the skin sending shivers sparking up and down his spine. "You know, you could call me Evan." Lorne says with a wide grin, both his hands trailing down to catch Radek's.  
"Yes. Evan." Radek feels his face flushing hot, but Evan Lorne is smiling taking him by the hand, trailing Radek behind him down the corridors of Atlantis, mostly empty from the dinner hour rush.

And when the get to Evan's quarter's Radek knows he was right because the feel of Evan's hands on him nothing he'd expected and everything he'd hoped. The dual sensations of the rough scrape of fingertips and the lightest silky brush of nails. And when Evan places his palm in the center of Radek's bare chest it's like an electric shock drawing in air to his body. Radek's had lovers before; Evan's are not the first hands on his body. But they are the only one's that have felt like this. Radek surrenders to it, skin sensitized all over by the lightest brush of fingers and lets sensation take him.


End file.
